Welcome to CUPC, Andrea and Ryan!
Dr. Andrea Velasquez is Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Colorado Denver. She received her undergraduate and Masters degrees in Economics from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia before receiving her PhD in Economics from Duke University. At Duke, Velasquez was an active participant in the University’s Population Research Institute and involved in the design and implementation of the U.S. component of the Mexican Family Life Survey (MxFLS). Her research has subsequently used MxFLS data to investigate questions involving Mexican/US migration patterns and the role increases in violent crime in Mexico have on the labor market, human capital accumulation, and risk aversion. Her most recent work, “The Economic Burden of Crime: Evidence from Mexico” is forthcoming in The Journal of Human Resources.
The recipient of numerous research awards, Dr. Velasquez was awarded the National Science Foundation Dissertation Award in Economics in 2012. Most recently she was the recipient of the University of Toronto Rotman Institute for Gender and the Economy Research Grant. In addition to these recognitions, Velasquez is an active member of numerous economic and population associations including the American Economic Association, the Population Association of America, and the Households in Conflict Network.
Dr. Ryan Brown is Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Colorado Denver. In his research, Brown applies econometric techniques to population representative data in both developed and developing country settings, to examine how changes in the social, physical, and/or economic environment can have a persistent impact on health, preferences, and human capital accumulation. His research has been published in Demography, Journal of Development Economics, and Review of Economics and Statistics (forthcoming). In addition to his research, Brown teaches courses on Econometrics at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Before joining the Economics department at CU Denver, Brown received his PhD in Economics from Duke University. At Duke, he was an active part of the Duke University Population Center. In 2011-2013, Brown was a T32 Training Grant from the National Institute on Aging and National Institute of Health.
